If you are new to playing Torbjorn then we suggest you start from the top of this guide and work your way down. If you are an experienced player then jump down to the Tips section for more advanced strategies and tactics.

For the Last Time, I'm Swedish!

Torbjorn is a Hero many love to hate. In a similar vein to the Engineer from Team Fortress 2 he relies almost solely on his Sentry Turret to achieve anything. Against new players or teams that are uncoordinated, Torbjorn can be particularly effective. A well placed Turret that's regularly repaired and protected by allies can comfortably wipe any oncoming opposition and unless they directly choose to counter Torbjorn, they can often continue to die to him.

Despite the above, Torbjorn is easily countered and relies on others failing to counter him, or being poor at the game. A single Zenyatta, Pharah or Widowmaker can comfortably destroy his turret with ease and there's very little he can do about it. He'll then be at a huge disadvantage having to travel back into a fight and setup his turret again.

If you do like Turret based Heroes, I would argue Bastion is a much better alternative simply because he requires good positioning and knowledge of where to establish himself.

Pros

Cons

Turrets work well against fast moving Heroes such as Tracer

An easy, low skill-cap Hero

Armor can be very useful for Heroes such as Zenyatta or Zarya

Easily countered versus experienced players

His area denial is excellent

Not great on all maps / points.

Can often secure wins against unskilled or uncoordinated teams

Hard to play at a high levels.

Often secures play of the game thanks to his turret doing all the work

Much weaker without his turret

Story

Before the Omnic Crisis, Torbjörn had gained notoriety for designing weapons systems used by countries around the world. However, his belief that technology must serve a better vision for humanity put him at odds with his employers, who desired to control his weapons using networked computer intelligence. At some point he worked with the Ironclad Guild, where he worked in R&D.

Torbjörn during the Omnic Crisis

Torbjörn had a deep mistrust of sentient robotic intelligence, and while many of his peers wrote this off as paranoia, his worst fears were realized when the robot populations of the world turned against their human creators during the Omnic Crisis. Because of his engineering genius, he was recruited to join the original Overwatch strike team, and his many inventions proved integral to ending the conflict. In the years that followed, Overwatch became an international peacekeeping force, and Torbjörn remained a critical resource for all of its technological needs and signature weapons systems. At its height, Overwatch possessed one of the most advanced armaments on the planet, which could be traced to Torbjörn's work.

But in the aftermath of Overwatch's fall, many of Torbjörn's weapons were stolen or stashed away around the world. Feeling responsible for his creations, Torbjörn was determined to stop them from falling into the wrong hands and wreaking havoc on the innocent.

Abilities

Scrap Collector (Passive) - Anyone allies or enemies that die will drop 25 Scrap. This can be collected by Torbjorn and allows him to then distribute his Armor Pack's. Torbjorn can collect a maximum of 200 Scrap with each Armor Pack costing 50.

Tip - Don't go out of your way to collect Scrap if it means you'll have to leave your Turret unattended or if there's no quick way back. It will leave you and your Turret vulnerable.

Rivet Gun - His primary means of attack when his Turret is built or when he's moving between locations, Torbjorn's Rivet gun has two fire modes. The first fires rivets at long range, although they have fall-off as they fly further. His alternative fire allows him to eject molten metal in a burst dealing 6-15 per pellet, with 10 pellets per shot. It's important that you regularly poke from afar with your primary fire just to zone out the enemy and if someone does get too close, use your alternative fire. Just be aware the reload isn't quick (2 seconds) so try not to miss.

Forge Hammer - Used primarily for building his Sentry Turret or upgrading it. Although you can use it as a melee weapon (75 damage per swing) it's a much better option to stick to your Rivet Gun. You should only equip your Forge Hammer when you need to repair or upgrade.

Tip - If reloading and your Forge Hammer will kill an opponent who is attacking you, quickly switch to it. It's faster than reloading and far more accurate.

Build Turret - To be effective Torbjorn is entirely reliant on Build Turret. Allowing him to place a level 1 Turret anywhere he wishes. The Sentry Turret once built will automatically track the nearest enemy. With three levels of upgrade available (two from using your Forge Hammer and one from your Molten Core Ultimate ability) it's imperative you maintain it at all times. Although the base Sentry Turret is relatively weak, it still deals rapid damage. Firing two rounds per second, at 14 health per bullet, it can quickly cut down squishy targets. A level 2 Sentry doesn't increase the raw damage, but doubles the rate of fire while also gaining double the health (from 150 to 300). When you trigger Molten Core your Sentry Turret is automatically upgraded to Level 3, gaining 500 more health as armor and will then fire 5 rounds per second, and 4 rockets per second (for 14 damage per rocket).

Tip - Always try to build Sentry Turrets where they aren't easily seen or targetted. Building them out in the open will gaurentee they'll die easily.

Armor Pack - Torbjorn's only utility comes in the form of an Armor Pack he can throw on the ground. Costing 50 scrap per pack, anyone who collects the Armor Pack will receive a +75 armor boost. It's invaluable for squishy Heroes such as Zenyatta and Tracer, but also allows already hardy Heroes such as Roadhog or Reinhardt to take even more punishment. It's absolutely critical that as Torbjorn you distribute your Armor Pack's as often as humanly possible. This health cannot be healed and wil be lost after the hero takes the 75 damage.

Molten Core (Ultimate) - Lasting for 12 seconds, Molten Core boosts Torbjorn's armor by +300. In addition, his Sentry Turret is automatically upgraded to Tier 3. Torbjorn's attack speed is doubled during this time as well. It's incredibly important that you only use Molten Core when under heavy fire from the enemy team and when they're specifically pushing onto a point you're trying to defend. If you don't use it during such times, it'll be a huge waste of the defensive and offensive boost the turret receives.

Tip - Molten Core and the benefits provided to the Sentry Turret can be easily countered by a variety of skills: Zenyatta's Ultimate, Mei's Ice Wall or even Genji's Deflect.

Strategy

In all honesty the strategical depth of Torbjorn is limited and it all hinges on very few things: maintaining your Sentry Turret in a viable position, generating armour for your teammates and using your rivet gun effectively. Where the first is concerned, you don't need to babysit your turret. Often, setting it up and then moving to the next position (your fallback turret spot) is preferable. Ensure that you can still participate in fights and deliver armour.

As for positioning, this is unquestionably the most important aspect of Torbjorn's play. Not only is it important to put your turret in a good position, but you need to be positioned where you can contribute yourself. Few things are more frustrating at low ELO than a Torb with great positioning.

Tip - Try to always find locations on the map that have natural cover for your Sentry Turret. Just be sure that it can still fire at oncoming Heroes while said cover (such as boxes or barrels) make it harder for anyone firing at it.

If you can and before placing your Sentry Turret, just have a quick look around for what you think will be enemy routes towards the turret and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Can this be easily sniped?

2. Am I in an position where players have to walk in front of my Sentry Turret to damage it?

3. Are there limited sight-lines against my Sentry Turret?

If you can answer no, yes, yes to the above three questions it's unquestionably a good location to place your Sentry Turret.

When it comes to your Ultimate ability, it's incredibly important to use it only when under heavy fire. Your Sentry Turret will then deal maximum damage against the opposition while also gaining considerable armor. It's also imperative that during this time you take advantage of your increased rivet gun damage per second. You're a wrecking ball... start wrecking.

Matchups

Heroes listed here are particularly challenging for Torbjorn. While those listed can still be killed, they pose a particularly difficult challenge for him so be sure to take extra care.

Hero

Threat

Reaper: His ability to teleport combined with his massive damage up close allows him to appear behind you and your turret. His burst damage is high enough to quickly kill your Sentry Turret and then you. There's very little you can against Reaper besides look out for him as he's appearing, at which point you can use your alternative fire on him.

9/10

Pharah: Her range is incredible and if she has vision on your Sentry Turret, it's going to die.

9/10

Junkrat: He can fire his grenades over walls or bounce them around corners so it's incredibly easy for him to reach you and your Sentry Turret. The best you can hope for is that he comes into view of your turret or gets picked up by one of your team.

7/10

Tracer: Her ability to Blink faster than your Sentry Turret can aim, combined with her Ultimate ability pretty much ensures your Sentry Turret will die. Just pray she doesn't have enough Blink's to reach your turret so that it quickly guns her down.

7/10

Zenyatta: His range is enormous and he can rapidly load multiple orbs to unleash at once. If he has vision on your turret outside of its range it's going to die.

7/10

Reinhardt: His Barrier will block the vast majority of your Sentry Turret's damage and even if it does begin to crack, he can find cover, replenish it and push again.

7/10

Widowmaker: Similarly to Zenyatta or Pharah, the accuracy and distance on Widowmaker's rifle ensures she can continually snipe your turret. Just be sure to place it where she has limited to no sightlines.

8/10

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Torbjorn play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here.

Torbjorn Strategies for Numbani

Torbjorn Strategies on Watchpoint Gibraltar

1. Always have a Turret established in a location where the enemy team are most likely to be. It sounds obvious, but I've regularly see Torbjorn players setup in the oddest of places where no one will ever be.

2. Try to setup your Sentry Turret ahead of an objective. On Payload, you want it to be before the checkpoints, not at the checkpoint (unless your team has been pushed back to that). On Capture Point, you want it just off to the sides ready for players wanting to hold the position.

3. Your Level 1 Sentry is surprisingly strong in a pinch. Don't be afraid to drop it and run. If it blows up, it doesn't matter and you can drop another after.

4. Remember that during Molten Core you gain armor as well as your Sentry Turret. Use this added survivability to wreak some havoc on the enemies with your rivet gun.

5. If your team has wiped the enemy and they're respawning, move your Sentry Turret.

7. Only use your alternative fire on your Rivet Gun when you can be sure you'll hit someone. The reload time is too long to miss with it.

8. Molten Core allows you to build a Level 2 Sentry Turret almost instantly. It's invaluable when your Sentry Turret has been destroyed and you need another quickly.

9. If your Sentry Turret isn't being attacked during Molten Core, feel free to go on the rampage with your Rivet Gun. Your extra armor makes you particularly tanky. Heck, go on the attack no matter what. Standing healing a turret is a poor choice.

10. Don't drop Armor Packs if you know your team has full armor already. It's a waste. Save your Scrap for those who respawn without armor.

11. It's more important that you keep yourself alive than trying to save your turret. Let it die and reset another in an alternate position.

12. Scavenge scrap during every downtime and break in fights. Armor is incredibly important. After drilling people with your rivet gun it's #2 for you. Your turret is fantastic, but it's your lowest priority. Place it and move on.

13. Learn the maps. Eichenwalde Point A, Numbani Point A and Hanamura Point A are great spots to choose Torbjorn. Maps like Oasis and Lijiang Tower are not nearly as ideal.

14. Switch if things aren't working out. No, seriously, switch.

15. High ground is important. You can rain down justice in the form of molten pellets and protect your turret by just getting it on high ground.

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